


A Side To You That I Never Knew

by Willow_Angel



Series: The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway 'verse [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, Charles and Emma are rich pureblood buddies, Charles and Emma are telepath buddies, Charles gets way too excited and it's adorable, Charles is a muggle science nerd, Emma is a Good Friend, Emma is a cheeky lil shit, Erik is a Good Boyfriend, Erik is a Sweetheart, Fluff, M/M, Marauder's Era, erik and charles are adorable, lotta fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-23
Updated: 2017-06-23
Packaged: 2018-11-17 22:13:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11277831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Willow_Angel/pseuds/Willow_Angel
Summary: When Charles reveals to Erik that his oldest friend Emma and his adopted sister Raven has their own set of abnormal powers, he gets a lead as to what may be causing them.





	A Side To You That I Never Knew

**Author's Note:**

> Woooooo, THIS IS SO LONG AND IT TOOK ME A LONG TIME. BUT HERE 'TIS, YAY!!
> 
> I've edited a note onto the last one in the series, this is now set in the Marauder's Era, not the Golden Trio era (or whatever it's called). Just to clear up any continuity errors! :)
> 
> Huge thanks to @armanian on Ao3 for inspiring this part!!! Thank you, I love you, I hope I did it justice :D While writing this I imagined the Emma Frost from the Wolverine and the X-Men animated series more than Emma from the movieverse, even though she's younger than Charles in the animated series, because she's nicer there and has an English accent. But, feel free to imagine her however you like! She's certainly got more of an evil side to her than Charles does, at least~
> 
> That's enough from me, anyways. I hope you enjoy! :D

The classroom was completely silent as everyone worked. Nobody dared speak a word – Professor Snape was in one of his less-than-less-than-good moods, which meant that speaking was basically a death sentence. The only sound was the constant scratching of quills against parchment, and occasional quill knocking against an inkwell.

Charles was going through his work with ease. He missed the familiar feeling of Erik’s warmth by his side, but he didn’t let that get to him too much. It had been a little over a week since the two of them had gone from friends to lovers, and already it felt like Erik was home. It was a lovely feeling – he only wished that they had realised it sooner. They hadn’t shown off their relationship, but it was obvious that the more… _observant_ of people had noticed.

 _So, you and the Gryffindor, huh?_ The cool, melodic voice of Emma Frost wandered into his head, and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

 _His name is Erik,_ Charles replied, _and good morning to you too, Emma._

He could almost feel Emma’s smirk. _I was wondering when the two of you would consummate your marriage,_ she said smugly.

Charles’s quill froze, and he fought to control a blush. _Emma!_ he scolded.

Emma’s laughter rang in his head. A quick sweep around the room told him that Slughorn was behind him and looking the other way, so he glanced up. His oldest friend and fellow telepath was giving no indication of the conversation they were having, brushing a lock of white-blonde hair behind her ear. _You two have been acting like a married couple since third year,_ Emma said. _It’s really not any surprise._

 _To you, perhaps,_ he said, looking back down at his book. _A lot of people, in our houses especially, don’t approve of me even being friends with Erik. Imagine the chaos when they realise that we’re actually dating now._

Emma paused, her mind silent. Then, _That’s beautiful._

 _And you’re sadistic_ , Charles laughed.

 _I can’t_ wait _for that to happen._ Merlin _, that will be funny._

 _Sometimes I wonder why I’m still friends with you,_ Charles sighed.

 _Oh, please,_ Emma scoffed, and Charles really did roll his eyes this time. _What would you do without me?_

Charles fought a grin, mentally waved Emma away, and poured over his workbook again. Snape would have his head if he didn’t finish this, even if he was a Slytherin. _I’ll talk to you later, Emma._

_Don’t miss me too much._

 

Emma approached him later that day in the library while he was with Erik. The two of them were trying to work their way through McGonagall’s homework, while a game of chess sat to the side. Charles had managed to charm a muggle chess set so they could move the pieces verbally without getting abused.

“Good afternoon,” Emma greeted them, setting a book down on the table. “I found a book we could find useful.”

Charles looked up and pulled the book over to him. _The Effects of Magic on Non-Magic Peoples_ , it was called. “Thank you,” he said, smiling up at her. “I’ll read through it when I finally get a chance,” he joked, and Emma grinned at him.

“Homework getting you down?” she asked.

Charles gestured to the table that he and Erik were working at, raising an eyebrow, and Emma laughed. Charles glanced over at Erik, who was looking between him and Emma questioningly. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Erik, this is Emma Frost, one of my oldest friends. Emma, this is Erik, my boyfriend.” _Merlin_ , how amazing it felt to be able to use the word “boyfriend”.

Emma held her hand out. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” she said, smiling sweetly. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Same to you,” Erik replied, shaking her hand. He looked at the book. “What do you need that book for?”

Charles grinned, excited despite himself. “Emma and I have a long-running project on finding out how our powers work,” he explained. “We haven’t found anything really conclusive yet, but we’re trying everything we can think of.”

Erik frowned. “’Our’?” he repeated.

Charles startled, looking up at Emma. He hadn’t noticed what he’d said. Emma shrugged her delicate shoulders and with a flash of her ice-blue eyes, her skin rippled and turned opaque, glinting in the light. She tossed her hair, uncaring of her appearance.

Charles looked over at Erik. He was frozen, eyes wide in shock. He looked Emma up and down. Charles felt his mind whirring, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

“Diamond,” Emma supplied. “Although, it’s not my favourite form, as it prevents me from using my telepathy.”

“Tel-” Erik looked from Emma to Charles and back again. “You’re like Charles?” he asked.

“Almost,” Emma smirked, and changed her skin back to normal.

“Obviously, I can’t turn to diamond,” Charles elaborated, “and I can’t read Emma’s mind when she’s in her diamond form. But, I have a wider range of telepathic abilities to make up for that.” Emma rolled her eyes.

Erik looked over at Charles, and there was something behind his eyes. Charles wasn’t quite certain as to what it was, and didn’t want to pry too deep to find out. “There are more people like you?” he said weakly.

“Yes,” Charles said, leaning forward. “And I don’t think it’s connected to magic, which is the interesting part.”

“How is it _not_ connected to magic?” Erik asked.

Charles’s smile turned a little bit sad as he remembered the girl he left at home. “My adopted sister isn’t magic,” he said, “and she has her own set of abilities. She can change her form into anything she wants.”

Was it just him, or was Erik a little bit paler now? “And you’re trying to find out where these abilities come from?”

“Exactly,” Emma supplied.

Charles frowned. “Erik, are you alright?” He brushed his mind against Erik’s in an attempt to comfort him.

Erik’s eyes met his, and Charles was overcome as Erik practically pulled him into his mind. He gasped as he seemed to spin Charles around and make him look at the world. He felt Emma’s concern, but there was no time for that now, because _Merlin and Morgana…!_

He was suddenly hyper-aware of certain things in the room. The Xavier family ring on his hand, the Frost family ring on Emma’s, the metal corners of the books on the table and on the shelves, coat buttons, bag buckles, the chain necklace that Emma always wore, and so much more. All metal objects. He felt them hum and buzz, like they were alive and calling to him. It was like if he just reached out enough he could move them, mould them, do whatever he wanted with them…

He pulled himself back to reality, blinking with the realisation.

“What was that?” Emma asked, and Charles felt her concern and curiosity. She was trying to subtly push her way into whatever was happening, and Charles instinctively put a shield up around Erik’s mind first. He and Emma knew each other’s minds inside and out, almost, so it didn’t really matter much to him, but Erik’s privacy was another matter.

“You’re like us,” was all he could think to say. He reached over and grabbed Erik’s hand. “You have powers, just like us!” Erik nodded slowly. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Erik’s grip on Charles’s hand tightened. “I didn’t think it was anything special, especially after I started coming here,” he said. “I just thought it was the whole _magic_ thing. I didn’t think that it was any different.”

Charles wanted to laugh in surprise and happiness. He pushed his hair out of his face. “That was amazing, Erik,” he said quietly. “That was absolutely incredible.”

“What?” Emma asked, and Charles could feel her frustration behind a calm expression. “What powers do you have?”

Erik hesitated, and Charles rubbed Erik’s knuckles with his thumb. “It’s alright,” he assured his boyfriend. “Nobody will think it’s anything abnormal. This is Hogwarts, remember?”

Charles watched as Erik took a deep breath, steadying himself. Then, ever so slowly, Charles’s ring began to shudder, and Charles lifted his hand up. It slid off his finger and hovered in the air. Erik lifted his hand and moved his fingers. The ring twirled around his hand and arm and through the gaps between his fingers. The silver surface almost seemed to ripple.

He felt Emma’s surprise, and her mind began to try and piece together what was happening and come up with a logical solution. This was one of the reasons the two of them remained friends for so long – their minds worked in a very similar way, as they always tried to look for an answer that made sense, always trying not to let their emotions have any say in what the answer was.

One of the reasons he loved Erik so much was because he had _so_ much emotion where Charles lacked any at all. Charles felt the emotion that Erik was feeling, what he was using to trigger his abilities. It was a strange mix of rage and loss, anger and pain, and Charles blinked when he realised it. He suddenly wanted to cry.

“Are you a telekinetic?” Emma questioned.

The ring floated into the palm of Erik’s hand, and he looked at Charles. “No,” Charles answered for him, seeing the confusion. “Not quite, anyway. He can manipulate and control magnetic fields; metal objects specifically.”

Emma raised her eyebrows, and waved her wand and summoned a chair. Someone in the next aisle yelped in surprise, and was followed by a _thud_ and muffled laughter. “Impressive,” Emma said, smoothing out her robe as she sat down. “How long have you been able to do this?”

“Since I was nine,” Erik answered. “After… after I found out my father had died.”

Charles squeezed Erik’s hand in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. The small smile Erik gave him in return showed that it worked, eve if just a little.

“Interesting,” Emma commented. She twirled a bit of her hair around her finger. _You developed yours after your father died, didn’t you?_ she asked Charles.

 _Yes,_ Charles replied. _And didn’t you get yours after your mother passed away?_

 _Maybe it’s triggered by death,_ Emma suggested.

_I don’t think so. I think it’s more likely that it’s a very emotional event. Yes, that includes death, but that’s too specific. Unless it’s a physical anomaly, which one could be born with._

_Raven was born with her abilities, wasn’t she?_

_Yes, she was._ Charles hummed in thought. The mental conversation with Emma had barely lasted two seconds – the two had gotten very quick at having those conversations.

“And you’re looking into effects of magic on muggles?” Erik asked.

Emma shrugged. “It’s one place we haven’t looked yet,” she answered. “We should cover all the bases before we start drawing conclusions.”

“Unless it’s got absolutely nothing to do with magic at all,” Charles said quietly. He hadn’t realised he’s spoken aloud until they both looked at him, expecting to hear more. Charles looked off into the distance. “Perhaps we have these abilities, and we just so happen to be magic as well. From what I’ve found out about Raven’s family, there are no records of there ever being a witch or wizard in her history. So perhaps we’re more abnormal because we’re both, and not Raven because she isn’t.”

Emma hummed thoughtfully. “What do you think that means?”

“Maybe it’s like magic in muggleborns,” Erik suggested.

Charles and Emma both looked at Erik. Charles began to smile. “Maybe it is,” he said. “If magic is passed down through families by our slightly altered genetics, then maybe having these abilities is… like mutation of sorts. A recessive gene that only turns up occasionally.”

Emma blinked. “You read more muggle books than I do,” she said. “Explain that to a pureblood.”

Charles blinked, calling on all the muggle textbooks on genetics he’d read over the years. “Well, our genes are located in our DNA, and they make us, well, us. Our genes determine what we look like, our physical and mental abilities, and in our case whether or not we can perform magic. From what I’ve learned, magic is a recessive gene, as opposed to a dominant gene.” He took a deep breath. “Are you following me with this or are you just pretending you are?” he asked, looking at his friends. Emma just shrugged and Erik gestured for him to continue. Charles sighed, grabbing a piece of scrap parchment and a quill. “Erik, come over here,” he said, pushing the chess board out of the way so Erik could sit beside him. Emma leaned forward and Erik unashamedly leaned into him. Charles fought back a happy grin, but he was sure Emma caught it anyway.

Charles began to explain to them the basics of genetics and genetic sequences, and how the genotypes determined the physical appearances of every living organism on the planet. He even drew up a Punnett square as a diagram. He kept it as a two-by-two square, as there was no need to go into too much detail. All they needed to know was how genetics worked.

When he’d finished explaining that and the two gave the affirmative that they’d basically understood him, he began to talk about evolution. Random genetic mutations mixed with the environment that a species lived in determined whether the mutation would continue to evolve or die out.

“Perhaps these are one of these random genetic mutations,” Charles said. “When it comes down to it, we’re all still animals and we can still evolve as we continue to adapt to survive. Just like magic can randomly pop up in muggleborns, maybe these mutations randomly pop up as well. Maybe we, and other people like us, have evolved enough to handle these mutations.” Charles was more thinking out loud, and was fiddling with the quill in his hand. He looked over at Erik. His boyfriend was smiling at him and his eyes were warm and excited. He looked so beautiful in that moment that Charles couldn’t help but lean forward and kiss him, pulling Erik into him. Erik made a surprised noise and Charles laughed, pulling away. “Oh my goodness, I love you,” Charles said breathlessly, kissing him on the cheek one last time.

Emma was tapping a well-polished fingernail on the wooden table, and she was grinning excitedly. “Charles, I think you’ve got it,” she said, standing up. “Looks like we won’t need this book. There might be something on muggle sciences in here… I’ll ask Madam Pince.” She walked off into the shelves.

“How did you learn all of this?” Erik asked.

Charles shrugged and rested his head on Erik’s shoulder. “Raven obviously goes to a muggle school,” he said. “When I went home for the holidays once, she mentioned what she had been learning at school and it caught my interest.”

“You’re kidding. Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

Erik slung an arm around Charles’s shoulder and Charles leaned into him. Happy, Charles closed his eyes and allowed his mind to wander out a little bit as Erik’s fingers moved through his hair. He felt Emma’s mind whirring as she walked up and down aisles of books, and felt the frustration of many of their fellow students as they struggled to complete their homework. He was a little surprised that James and Sirius weren’t in here causing trouble, but he was going to count his blessings on that one.

Then he felt one, no, two minds that were almost completely focussed on Erik and Charles. He felt their shock and confusion, and even a little bit of guilt. He recognised them from Erik’s memories, and anxiety washed over him.

“We have company,” he murmured. “Two of your friends have been watching us.”

Erik huffed a laugh. “Since when do I have friends?” he asked, rubbing Charles’s arm.

“The two that approached you in the common room last week. Moira and Sean?”

Erik momentarily stiffened, but relaxed quickly enough and shrugged. “Let them watch,” he said nonchalantly. “There’s nothing they can do.”

Charles leaned back a little, looking up at Erik. “Are you sure?” he asked quietly.

Erik cupped his face, his stare intense. “Of course I am,” he replied seriously. Then he smiled a little, pushing a lock of hair out of Charles’s face. “I love you, Charles.”

Charles’s heart warmed, and he leaned into Erik’s hand. “I love you, too,” he said, and Erik leaned down and kissed him softly. His lips were warm, and tasted like the hot chocolate they’d been sharing. It was both exhilarating and relaxing at the same time.

“When you two are quite finished,” Emma’s voice cut into their little moment, and Charles couldn’t help a quiet laugh. Leave it to Emma Frost to ruin romantic moments everywhere. Charles turned to look at her, gently batting Erik away when his boyfriend pressed a sneaky kiss to his neck and rolling his eyes at Erik’s smugness and Emma’s amusement.

“Any luck?” Charles asked.

Emma shook her head. “Unfortunately, no,” she said. “This library is, somewhat understandably, lacking in books to do with muggles. I wonder how people in Muggle Studies cope.”

“It’s a stupid class,” Charles sighed. “There’s not much we can do about that, unfortunately. I’ll write to Raven, maybe she can mail some books.”

Emma nodded. “Good idea.” She looked down at her silver watch. “Charles, you and I should get going before we’re late for class.”

Charles looked down at his own watch, blinking in surprise when he realised what the time was. He picked up his wand and waved it, all of his work neatly filing itself into a neat pile. “Thank you, Emma,” he said, and then turned to Erik. “I’ll see you later, alright?” Erik nodded, and Charles quickly kissed him before standing up and following Emma out.

“Enjoy your free period, Erik!” Emma sang, and Charles turned around to see Erik shake his head, grinning. Emma nudged him. “You really love him, don’t you?” she asked.

Charles nodded, smiling. “I do,” he answered all too honestly.

Emma grimaced. “Ew, romance,” she said, and Charles laughed.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are always appreciated ^~^
> 
> If anyone has ideas for a more creative title for this series, I'm all ears :P


End file.
